Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 11, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba The View ? 2003 Winnipeg free press a division of up Canadian Rudy Redekop / president Winnipeg free press editorial Board Winnipeg free press newspapers limited partnership members Are Nicholas Hirst Terence Moore Gerald flood Catherine Mitchell Tom Oleson cartoonist Dale Cummings Murdoch Davis / publisher sunday july 11, 2004 Winnipeg free press est 1872 published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue submissions to the View from the West Are Welcome. Nicholas Hirst / editor Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697-7000 Freedom of Trade b4 from newest associate editor Contact associate editor John Sullivan 204 697-7293 / vol 132 no 218 a member of the Manitoba press Council Patrick Flynn / Deputy editor John Sullivan 697-7293 Liberty of religion a forum for ideas and opinion Equality of civil rights a universe of travel possibilities o n july 1, the unmanned Cassini Huygens space probe a joint Nasa european project penetrated the rings of Saturn and began to Send spectacular pictures of that Peculiar planet Back to Earth. Along with those remarkable pictures ? they look even More like an artists imagination of what Saturn might look like than artists imaginings previously did ? the probe sent information As Well. That information leads us to believe ? or at least it is leading scientists to believe ? that Saturn May not just be Peculiar it May be unique. There is Rea son it seems to believe that among All the planets in the universe that we know of today there May be no other like Saturn with its wonderful rings and Many Moons. The space based Hubbell Telescope has discovered More than 100 new planets since it began casting its cyclopean Eye on the universe. That is at least Dou ble the number of planets that previously had been suspected. Most of them Are Large planets like Jupiter and Saturn which is perhaps not surprising ? the bigger they Are the easier it is for that great Eye to see them. Most of them too seem to orbit closer to their stars than the giant planets of our solar system ? according to astronomers within the orbit of Mercury the closest planet to Circle our Sun. They Are then of course incapable of sus Taining life As we under stand it too hot and too heavy to allow for the kind of life we can believe in. But science surprises itself As often As it surprises us. And just because we Don to believe it does not mean that it can to be True. Among the images and information that Are being sent Back from sat urn Are visions of one of its Moons Titan. This is the stuff of which Star trek episodes Are made. Millions of years from now our Sun will explode or implode or do whatever it is that dying stars do. That will mean the end of life on Earth As we know it ? or at least As our great great Ever so great grandchildren will know it. That burst of heat from the dying Sun however might be enough to melt the water on Titan if in fact there is water there and make it habitable for a humanity fleeing the furious heat at least for awhile. As fragile a Hope As that might seem it is the last Best Hope for the life that exists on this lonely and Lorn planet an Earth unique like Saturn alone in bearing life. There is sadly but in truth no stuff of Star trek available to us this solar system ? Titan ? is about As far As humanity can expect to go. The reason for that is the Laws of physics As we know them today. One of those Laws stipulates that nothing can travel faster than the Speed of Light. At 186,000 Miles per second that is pretty fast but when one remembers that the Hubbell Telescope is capturing images today of stars being born of stars dying millions of years ago it drives Home the realization that in terms of interstellar travel the Speed of Light is a snails Pace there is no Warp Speed in real life. As Bob Dylan tells us you aint Goin in terms of the universe humanity is not even allowed off the Block. Even so As Cassini Huygens shows As the Mars Landers demonstrate we live in a pretty big Block and there is still a lot we have to learn about it. Just about the same time As the space probe slunk Between the rings of Saturn Mankind took another step into space a smaller step but one which May ultimately prove to be far More important that May affect the lives of individuals More directly. This was the successful launch of spaceship one when Pilot Mike Melvill took a privately owned privately built spaceship to an Altitude of More than 97 Kilometres above the Earth and then brought it Down safely again the first time that anyone but a National space Agency had truly slipped the Bonds of Earth. The extraordinary thing about spaceship one is that it Cost Only $20 million. Nasa or the russian space Agency can spend that on Coffee and dough nuts and not even get airborne. What this Means is that space May be opened up to private Enterprise that space flight May eventually be available not just to officially sponsored Astro nauts Rock stars and other multimillionaire but to lesser lights As Well. It will never be cheap but the idea of space tourism is now a foreseeable reality. That reality gives a new and compelling logic to the traditional notion of space exploration. Only space agencies such As Nasa can go to Saturn and beyond. Only they need to. But a hotel orbiting in space is no longer beyond imagination the ultimate honeymoon destination according to the per fervid leaving the nest in a year when the Liberal theocracy approach to International diplomacy. Do pundits predict that Well be heading sundry Liberal disasters big and Small i t was the first real Chance was floundering badly a United right these values represent the average Back to the polls within two years of the past few months. It was a vote managed to pull in just 30 per cent of Western voter not if you compare though personally i doubt this govern that did to show up. At the last minute a that our old reactionary the popular vote ? a disappointing step Urban versus Rural Ridings younger ver ment will last anywhere near that Long. Lot of people who a threatened to do so party from the West ? backwards from the 38 per cent the two sus older voters or the Prairies versus within that time the new conserva found they just could to put the x in the parties earned separately in 2000. And . Tives will have to hold a policy Conven tory Box. Known variously As once again we westerners find our its telling that the last election Drew Tion one which May make ? or More As for supporting the Reform Alliance and now the selves in a familiar position on the out the lowest voter turnout in our nations Likely break ? the party. Doubt that Reform Alliance new cons As the voice Side looking in. Only 14 of the West a 92 history. With the race As close As it was Here a another anecdote of the West for me there is no party conservative party ? had to Ridings went to the minority liberals i a sure i want the Only one expecting a Friend of mine was working As a that stands for my West ? and that a although among those is Saskatchewan a the opposite. On election Day i tried ? reporter for a Small town How it should be. Regional parties on a actually form a government. Ralph Goodale who presumably will successfully i might add to convince a Saskatchewan weekly newspaper in Federal level Don to work outside of que tory Leader Stephen Harper keep the finance portfolio. 20-something Friend of mine to vote. All 1993 when Reform first won the local not unless the party is prepared to the election results suggest some of she asked was that i present her with a Riding unseating a longtime conserva be always a bridesmaid never a Bride presumably had to been fasting us in the West might want to take a look two sentence synopsis of each party and Tive my in the process. She remembers and the bloc certainly does to have any but with a week to go in the at the Basket we re so fond of putting All what it stood for. Two things from the town Hall meeting illusions about forming the next Federal our eggs in with an Eye to mixing things i presented As unbiased an accounting she covered following the election Victo government. Campaign he had a vision All up a Little better when the next election of the parties As i could Muster. We by a sea of White hair and a suggestion its interesting to note that the new is called it will be sooner rather than started at the top in terms of polling at from someone in the crowd that caning democrats who have had their ups and the same of his party forming a later. We have Long Clung to the myth any rate. The liberals were scratched be re instituted to straighten out the Downs but stuck it out for Many years majority government. That the old Reform party in its various from her list because of the sponsorship youth of the Day. Did to earn a single seat this time around incarnations has stood for Western Val scandal. Next up the conservatives a conservative policy convention in Saskatchewan though their numbers of course it did to quite work us As if the West enjoyed a monopoly scratched because of the possible threat could be a conservative Campaign were up across the country. Out that Way and when you on the desire for things like less govern they posed to abortion rights and same strategists Nightmare since some of the if the West truly wants to play in the ment lower taxes and Senate Reform sex marriage. More outspoken party members can be Halls of Power in Ottawa it has two consider All the factors you the latter of these three not getting a lot we Don to have to keep going Down the counted on they be yet to disappoint to choices. Westerners have to Start of play in this last Campaign. In fact list. Its enough to note that this voter voice some attention garnering opinions putting our eggs in More baskets or the have to judge this As a major Ontario voters love lower taxes too just want about to consider either of the on homosexuals immigration and other party to which we gave birth must final failure for the movement that ask Mike Harris or better still Dalton top two parties and we had the worst sensitive issues. By leave the nest abandoning us to find Mcguinty. Voter turnout in history. Its the social conservatism of a fringe its place among the voters of the nation. United the progressive conserve what else then does this party that add to the ranks of non voters All party that keeps a lot of people at a Dis Active and Alliance parties just we gave birth to stand for conservative those disgruntled former progressive Tance from the new cons. Even when views on abortion and same sex mar conservatives who refused to Board the they were polling neck and neck with Kerry Campbell is a Winnipeg born writer. Six months ago. Ridge Are two things that come to mind new ship some but not Brian Mulroney the liberals it was never really even. He is currently preparing to spend the and you might add increased military would Call it a Lifeboat and you Start to the conservatives were counting on a next year studying journalism at Kings spending and a More wonder that anyone voted at All. Soft vote a reaction to the Many and College in Halifax. We believe the scare tactics of the Liber Martin As pm. Unfortunately they wont. More than $230 billion in Transfer pay by Bruce Hutton Al and Campaign about conservatives Abol one need Only listen to Post election com ments since 1961, but they still pursue Ishing Public health care is the primary ments on Kyoto by Martin and his new nationhood. Are they really entitled to fed cause. The ads warning about fiscal ally and Mentor nip Leader Jack Lay eral payments or Are they just raping the Central for a Canadian nationalist the responsibility and deficit financing were ton. Their determination to enforce the rest of Canada who is going to subsidize results of last weeks Federal elec also effective ? untrue but effective. Accord will be devastating for Western Quebec if it leaves these Are Tough ques Tion Are devastating. For an Alber its hard to understand How the liberals Canada and particularly Alberta. Tons All canadians Are entitled to have to separatist however it is the can get away with producing ads about Why would responsible once proud answered. Best thing to happen in the last 40 fiscal irresponsibility Given their track canadians consider something As Earth without Oil and Gas Revenue Alberta years. The Strong Liberal minority if we record ? i a surprised but thankful they shattering As separation the reasons Are would also be a True have not Region and a can Call it that has fuelled Western alien did to produce ads claiming to be honest too Many to list and Back to the Trudeau net recipient of Federal transfers. But Oil action and will Lead to the eventual breakup and accountable to the people. Alas the Era with his blatant arrogance towards and Gas Are non renewable resources that of Canada. People of Ontario believed the ads the West ? who can forget his one Finger will become obsolete before they run out. Western nationalists and even some soft changed their minds and voted for the Salute ? and devastating policies like the environmental concerns including glob separatists were hoping for a conserva Devil they know giving the liberals 75 of National Energy program. Al warming guarantee that. It is there Tive majority to end what they perceive 106 seats. One must also understand that the per fore critical that Alberta use its excess As corruption in Ottawa. They would have Premier Ralph Klein a comments about caption in Central Canada is that Ontario Energy Revenue to diversify its Economy Canada does to been Happy with a conservative minority Albertas planned health reforms and the carries the rest of the country financial now and build for the future. East can stuff its advice f or a Long two weeks members of the Media have been hard at work trying to make sense of the election results. Most observers have focused on the Gulf Between the conservative West and Liberal Ontario and pretty much ignored what happened elsewhere. The chief exception was Andrew Coyne of the National Post who declared the East West split to be a phantasm and a myth a Mere artefact of the electoral system. Coyne How Ever confused the medium namely first past the Post elections with the message which necessarily is conveyed by imaginative myths. Forget policy. The election was about the geography of the mind of the myths that affirm both who we Are and where the Here is ? the place in which we live. The Post election reflections show this As clearly As do differences Between the stories of Ontario novelist Margaret Atwood and our own aretha Van Herk. The morning after comments by my University of Calgary colleagues Ted Morton and Roger Gib bins provided what is Little More than the common sense of informed albertan. The party of National Unity succeeded by implementing a Divide and conquer strategy and demonized Alberta. Two gentlemen from Montreal declared in the letters column the next Day that this whole East West thing was tiresome and another announced that he agreed with everything the albertan said but was angered that they were so rude As to say it. The abcs Rex Murphy achieved a personal Best in condescension by telling westerners not to take defeat personally ? As if there were any other Way. No special pleading and immaturity says he. Suck it up boys and move on. Great advice Rex. Where would you like us to move on to for the Globe and mails magisterial Jeff Simpson there was nothing to suck up. Everything worked out Fine. Canadians huddled voting Day morning figured out whom to punish and Reward and in what proportions then headed to the this is a splendid summary of the myth by which Ontario lives things All work out for the Best of reasons in this Best of All possible electoral worlds where the responsible voters of Canada which is to say of Ontario ? do their duty. And yet Simpsons colleague Roy Macgregor had already splashed across Page one of the Globe the now notorious Post election words of grand Motherly soft spoken Cal Arian Elizabeth Craine. There is no Canada she said adding that the country is never going to be anything but frustration. Why can to we Divide it up Well Elizabeth thanks to the clarity act we can. Macgregor a own advice encouraged westerners to be qui etly accepting of the likewise a former president of the Liberal party of Canada told westerners not to be sore losers. After All there had been no corruption and deceit in his party but Only a few thank goodness the mature and responsible electors of Ontario saw things in perspective. Besides when you get right Down to it really it was West Erners own fault for losing the election All on their own. Don to blame Ontario sniffed Adam Radwanski in the National Post. Don to be overtly hostile ? Don to show vis ceral disdain you outsiders from Alberta ? if Ever you wish to win Over our which raises a question can westerners Ever win the Trust of the East and if they did would they cease to be westerners in this context of identity politics pundit Ian Brown chastised Randy White As a Roofus no doubt a term of Art in the globes handbook of journalistic style for raising in his own demotic Way the serious Issue of judicial activism. Similarly and notwithstanding the malign consequences of the elec toral system the posts Andrew Coyne blamed the conserva Tives for offending the heretofore unknown category of voter the Trudeau such an imaginary creature wants both individual responsibility and big government a Square Circle if Ever there was one. Laurie Martin again charged that the Western conserva Tives were too american for Ontario loyalists while Drew Fagan pointed to a Survey by the Centre for research and information on Canada funded by successive Liberal govern ments that found Many suburbanites feel the conservatives just Don to get Here we Are penetrating to the dark heart of the Ontario myth a subliminal anti americanism so vague As to be incapable of articulation beyond an ephemeral it which westerners Don to get. The Canada existing in the electoral mind of Ontario is one that Only mythical easterners can govern. Westerners and especially those who live in the West of the West in Alberta Are the eternal other in this imaginative geography. Ask yourself who is telling the truth the prime minister who promises to build Bridges after blowing them up or Eliza Beth Craine your answer will indicate whether you Are imaginatively an easterner or a Westerner. Barry Cooper is professor of political science at the University of Calgary and director of the Alberta policy research Centre at the Fraser Institute in Calgary. outrageous outrage p predictably the results of the recent Federal election have spawned hysterical chants in some quarters of Western Canada. Vitriolic charges of exclusion psycho logical caricatures of alienation and predictions of West Ern separatism abound. These voices should be heard with caution. As More than a few commentators have noted monolithic depictions of the West Are false in the extreme. Each province has developed its own unique culture where one will find a poly Glot of ethnic ties religions classes and value orientations. Restricted to the singular act of voting the recent election results also reflect a wide Range of diversity. The percentage of votes cast for each of the three major Par ties in Manitoba and Saskatchewan was competitive. Only the archaic first past the Post electoral system makes it appear otherwise in Saskatchewan. The same is True of British Columbia where the percentage of conservative votes actually declined in this election. Alberta is the Only province in which something close to Polit ical monotheism reigns. Yet even Here it is doubtful that most of the 62 per cent of the electorate who voted conservative actually support Many of its hard right positions such As limiting use of the charter curtailing bilingualism and restricting a woman a right to abortion. Forget the hyperbole. What happened during the election was that some people voted ? a disturbingly Large number did not ? and when the numbers were tallied the liberals came first in seats Overall. By the logic of arguments being made by some conservative commentators one might easily argue that Alberta electing Only two liberals excluded the rest of Canada. This too would be palpably silly. Equally one might argue that if albertan really want in All they have to do is vote Liberal indeed if anyone should feel excluded it should be the Large number of nip and Green party supporters whose votes were valued at much less than those who voted Liberal and conservative. Most people in Alberta do not feel any More alienated fax. Since 1961, the net Cost to Alberta of being Canadian has been in excess of $250 billion with no return on investment. Alberta cannot afford to continue to subsidize Canada and Many albertan believe it is no longer acceptable for us to do so. A triple a Senate pension Reform a provincial police Force and other firewall programs will not Stop the eco nomic Drain from Alberta to Ottawa. Cen trial Canada will not give up control of the Golden Goose and make Alberta an equal partner in confederation. The separation party of Alberta is a newly formed provincially registered party that will be running Candi dates in the upcoming Alberta provincial election. We Are the Only viable alter a from Ottawa or the rest of Canada than they do from their provincial government or the Large faceless corporations that Tell us what music to buy and what foods to eat. If the degree of regional or provincial alienation is overstated it is nonetheless True that some individuals in Alberta do feel politically and ideologically estranged. These individuals com prise a clique of right Wing conservatives ? Many of them academics most of them american or american trained and housed primarily in Calgary. For nearly 20 years this group has worked to construct a Canada in its own right Wing image. Many of them share with their Star Pupil Stephen Harper the belief that Canada is a second rate country ? second that is to the United states. This clique has had its successes notably in transforming the nature of conservatism in Canada. Their test vehicle the Reform party first splintered the progressive conservatives. Its Suc Cessor the Alliance won the upper hand Over what was left literally and ideologically of the tories. The formation of the Neo conservative party last year sealed the re alignment that Preston Manning first wrote fondly of in the late 1960s, creating what in effect is a Canadian version of the american Republican party Replete with Supply Side economics Low tax / Small government policies and a nod to social conservatism. So far however this Neo con project has largely stalled at the Alberta Border. And every time it hits a Speed bump members of the group become angrier. Like All True believers they can not understand Why others reject their self evident truths about human nature the state and god not to mention the need for a reformed Senate and abolition of such socialist enterprises As the Canada health act and the Canadian wheat Board. Fortunately most Western canadians including albertan ignore these slings and arrows of outrageous outrage. They know Down deep that for All its inconsistencies and Petty annoy ances Canada is not second rate but rather the Best country in the world in which to live Well raise a family and fear Little but the vagaries of weather. Trevor w. Harrison is a professor of sociology at the University of Lethbridge and until recently research director of Parkland Institute at the University of Alberta. Imaginations of some science fiction writers. More or a weak Liberal minority. Imagine if Canada health act just 10 Days before by. Nothing could be further from the unfortunately this diversification has Tive for the people of Alberta. Albertas than that however a private presence in space you can westerners counting on Ontario the election put the final Nail in Stephen truth. Until 2001, Ontario Alberta and not cannot and will not happen within Only solution is to separate from Canad to deliver a weak Liberal minority but harpers coffin. While pondering what British Columbia were net contributors Canadian confederation because Alber an confederation form its own country increases the chances of the greatest adventure of the rationale was simple a weak Minori motivated Klein to make those comments under the Federal transfers program tas excess Energy Revenue is being and use excess wealth from Oil and Gas to All time ? a Mission to Mars. Unmanned space to government can be held accountable one should remember that he used to be a while the rest of the country were net shipped to Ottawa. Albertan paid Ottawa diversify its Economy for the future ? get it ;